COUNCILMAN KACH STATEMENT: IN OPPOSITION TO FORCED SECTION 8 LEGISLATION BY THE MD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

COUNCILMAN KACH STATEMENT: IN OPPOSITION TO FORCED SECTION 8 LEGISLATION BY THE MD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

I was extremely disappointed to hear that the House of Delegates passed the Source of Income Bill that would force landlords to rent to individuals with Section 8 voucher. When in the Legislature, for many reasons, I always voted against the Source of Income legislation. I also voted against similar legislation in the Council in the summer of 2016.

Over the course of my career, I have consistently believed that it is wrong to force landlords to take Federal money with all the strings which are attached. In addition, I oppose the Federal government’s fixation on social engineering to which programs like this most often fail to achieve their goals. Too often in this process, the unintended consequences outweigh whatever positive results the proponents espouse. We all know that social engineering has a stunning record of failure.

I am also upset because the bill in the Maryland General Assembly threatens to supersede the 6-1 decision made by the County Council against this very proposal. As a county we have already made this decision. We do not need the State Legislature telling the people of Baltimore County how to live their lives.

I strongly urge the Maryland State Senate to reject this bill. To this end, I encourage you to contact your member of the State Senate to voice your concerns.

FHCA thanks Mr. Kach and his colleagues for their leadership advocating for Fort Howard and Baltimore County with this very important issue.